Egg Freezing/Fertility Preservation

Fertility Preservation

Fertility preservation is becoming increasingly important to improve the quality of life in cancer survivors. Despite guidelines suggesting that discussion of fertility preservation should be done prior to starting cancer therapies, there is a lack of implementation in this area. A number of techniques are available for fertility preservation, and they can be used individually or together in the same patient to maximize efficiency. Oocyte and embryo cryopreservation are now established techniques but have their limitations. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation though considered experimental at present, has a wider clinical application and the advantage of keeping the fertility window open for a longer time. Both chemotherapy and radiotherapy have a major impact on reproductive potential and fertility preservation procedures should be carried out prior to these treatments. The need for fertility preservation has to be weighed against morbidity and mortality associated with cancer. There is thus a need for a multidisciplinary collaboration between oncologists and reproductive specialists to improve awareness and availability.

Egg Freezing

Egg freezing is a method of preserving a woman’s fertility so she can try and have children at a later date. This page will explain how the process works, its success rates and risks.

Egg freezing is one way of preserving a woman’s fertility so she can have a family in the future. It involves collecting a woman’s eggs, freezing them and then thawing them later on so they can be used in fertility treatment.

Some women freeze their eggs because they have a medical condition or are undergoing treatment that affects their fertility. However, it can also be used by women who aren’t ready or able to have children and want the chance of conceiving in the future.

A woman’s chances of conceiving naturally fall as she gets older because the quality and number of her eggs drops. Egg freezing is an attempt at preserving fertility by freezing the eggs when the woman is young and the eggs are of the highest quality.